Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Small Scale Honey Bee Keeping Business

 We know the economic importance of Honey in our society.Also we can learn how to handle honey bees for bee keeping purpose.So if we can spare a little time and money,we can develop this idea to a successful business.For a farmer having crops,fruits,vegetables or plantations,Honey bee farming can yield double benefits for him.For a new farmer,Honey bee keeping is a new business as well as opportunity to realize the potential of other farming techniques.So lets have a look on Honey bee farming.

For starting a Bee keeping or Apiculture business, you need to have some idea about various aspects of Honey bee farm.Below details may help you.

Bee Hive Box

 It is one of the Essential thing in a honey Bee farm.It is the box where Honey bees do their activities like build their combs,store Honey,Grow their young ones etc.So it is the primary place for a farmer to concentrate.A typical Honey Beehive box consists of Brood chamber,Honey chamber(Super) and a roof.Brood chamber consists of eggs of  Queen and some honey.We can extract honey from honey chamber.The box should be protected from rain,direct sunlight and bee predators.A small honey bee farm can have 5 to 25 honey bee boxes.You can get Honey bee boxes from local bee keepers in your area.National Horticulture Board and Rubber Board also provides Honey Bee Boxes and financial aids for farmers.

Selecting Suitable Honey Bee

 Selection of Honey Bee is one of the critical stage For a Bee farm.The nature of your farm depend on the Honey Bee breed you select.To have an idea about Honey Bee Breeds and their selection,visit my previous post about Selecting Suitable Honey Bee For Your Farm. European honey bee,Indian(Asian) honey bee,Dwarf(stingless) Honey Bee etc are suitable bees for your farm.

Essential tools Required

 A beekeeper require some essential tools for safe handling of Bee farm.They are

  • The smoker: Smoker is used to control aggressive bees in a box.This is mainly used during honey extraction.
  • Hive Tool,Knife:This tool is used for handling Honey Bee Box ,its frames and Honey combs.
  • Bee Brush
  • Honey Extractor: It is a Mechanical equipment used for extraction of Honey.
 Some farmers also use protective clothing during honey extraction.

Processing of Honey

 Honey extracted from honey comb need to be processed for storage and packing.The extra water content and impurities are removed during processing.During processing, Honey is heated by placing it in a container which is heated by Hot water.After keeping it in 45 degree for half an hour,it is cooled.The impurities and water will be there on the top of honey and is removed.This process repeats until all impurities are removed.  

Marketing and Profitability

 If you can ensure the availability and quality of the Honey,marketing is not a problem.lots of Ayurveda companies require honey for their products.Government agencies also helps in marketing of Honey.The profitability of honey Bee keeping mainly depends on the Honey production rate.If you incorporate bee keeping with your Rubber plantation,the profit will be huge.There are lots of rubber plantation in India,especially in Kerala where we can utilize Bee Keeping.Bees also help in pollination of other plants in our farm.So it is a sustainable and profitable organic business that you can do within your farm for earning some extra money by improving the farm.

22 comments:

  1. plese help, iam intersting this work



    my mob;8589999018

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  2. Hello Sobin.. Where are you located from. I know a guy in Kottayam District who sells honey bee hives and help you to start with.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sijo can you give me the details and phone no of that guy. I want to start this honey bee keeping business. Ph :-9447115440, bhlshts@gmail.com

      Delete
    2. Hi Sijo,
      My father is looking to setup a small farm of honey bees. He has previous experience in farming of honey bees. If you have any details please mail it to me on shabeebih@gmail.com

      We are from Malappuram dist.

      Delete
  3. HI i am from Madhya pradesh i am not from a agriculture background, i am intrested in honey bee farming as a core business along with some other farming like rose in the same farm.
    i wanted to know is climate of madhya pradesh is suitable for bee keeping and as a full time job how much i an earn out of it
    please give me your valuable suggestions at shaikh.imran.mondiale@gmail.com
    or please leave your mobile number i will call you

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi.... I am from rajasthan and i am intrested in this honey bee farming. And my background is farming but i don't know how to do honey bee farming. So pls sugges me and help me. Pls give me your suggestion at patidarvishnu25@gmail.com

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  5. how much investment is required to earn rs 20,000/- per month from sale of honey

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  6. Hi Sijo,

    I am also interested in this. Could you please share the details to vikree@gmail.com ?

    Regards

    Vimod

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  7. i want a start bee farm..pl. give me details of how can start this...

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  8. Hi,

    I am planning to start up a honey bee plant. Please let me know how much initial investment required for start up. I am not from farming background. Please provide your suggestion on tarangsanghavi@gmail.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Help me plz I am interesting in this work.....
    My no. 7023112421
    My.E-mail mundrasourabh256@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. hello, i am from kochi, could you pls give me details abut honey farimg

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  11. hai all,
    Madhusree BEE FARM is a well renowned Kerala based company Located in Kannur that brings forth a wide range of honey bee products. The assortment of products that we offer includes White Beeswax, Sweet Honey Jam, Honey Vinegar and Honey. We are the suppliers of bee colonies of various species like Italian Bees, Cerana Bees and also provide Bee Boxes and Bee Keeping Equipments. We are the only distributors of "stingless bee honey" in Kerala, which has very high medicinal value. All our products are 100 % pure and organic as they are obtained from own well maintained bee farms.
    We also give training to farmers in order to make them adept in beekeeping and collecting honey. Our bee products are available at highly reasonable prices.
    please conduct: binu 9496391220 or mail to binu.alakode@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would like to start Beekeeping but I don't know much about it. Its really appreciable if you can help.

      Contact me at agent47taj@gmail.com

      Delete
  12. HELP ME PLS I AM INTERESTING IN THIS WORK,but idont know much about it.
    I AM FROM MALAPPURAM
    MY MOB NO 00966501581564 EMAIL ID-shahidmp1988@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Shahid,

      You can get trained in Honey farming by contacting nearest Krishibhavan/KVK. They have training schedules for various fields of farming.Get yourself registered and attend the training.You can meet various Honey farmers during training and KVK can provide few contacts also.
      All the best.

      Delete
  13. fron where i can get bee protective overall and head veil in kerala. how much it will cost ?.

    send me advice
    mkkutty58@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Dear Ibrahim Kutty,
      You can check in justdial/indiamart for getting details of local suppliers.The rate vary between 2000-3000 based on quality.You can also get in touch with other bee keepers in your area to know supplier.

      Delete
  14. Honey plant ki jankari chahiye help me

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  15. Please contact your nearest KVK/Krishibhavan/agriculture university.They can guide you.Also search online.

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  16. I am from Chennai I need 25 kg raw natural honey,if anybody has call me my whtapp number 8124560108

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  17. I am producing pure honey.please inform your requirement 9447926162 in Malappuram

    ReplyDelete